


The Chords that Drew Us

by DaniJayNel



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Annie sings, F/F, Moving into a new apartment, Neighbours, Oneshot, Ymir plays guitar, side mikasasha, side reibert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23498482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniJayNel/pseuds/DaniJayNel
Summary: Ymir lives for playing her guitar and making music. Annie sings really well and loves to do so in the shower. One day, after Annie moves into a new building of flats, Ymir hears her singing next door. The next day, Ymir plays the same song on Guitar. Annie can't help but sing along, and thanks to their walls being so thin they can easily hear each other. They end up doing a duet quite often, and only meet through chance. There's just something that sparks between them, and maybe they want to make more than just music together.
Relationships: Annie Leonhart/Ymir
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	The Chords that Drew Us

**Author's Note:**

> My first crack at YumiAni. I'm definitely open to writing more

The only happy memory Ymir really had of her father were the few times he would pull his guitar out and play while they sat outside on the stoop, her feet bare and dirty as hell and him drunk with empty beer bottles scattered around them. His voice had been absolute shit, but his playing had been amazing. Ymir remembered watching the way his fingers flew across the strings, how he somehow drew together a beautiful song out of nothing.

When she was old enough to do odd jobs around the neighbourhood for money, she saved up and eventually bought her very first acoustic guitar. By then her father had already fucked off with some other woman and Ymir had to live with her grandparents, so there wasn’t anyone who could teach her. She bought a second hand book for beginners, and slowly she learnt how to pull those strings herself.

Ymir lost herself in the music. When the internet became a thing, and her grandpa gave her a phone for her birthday, she started looking up how to play even better. She followed so many social media accounts of amazing guitarists, and she decided that the only thing she would ever thank her father for was introducing her to the instrument.

Years later, Ymir worked in retail and had a little flat to herself in an apartment building. She liked to think she was damn good at playing, because it was her passion and she played every time she had a moment to herself. She never tried to do anything with her music though, and she was just content to get home after a long day and rewind with her guitar. Unfortunately, the walls of her flat were incredibly thin, so she often received complaints from neighbours if she played too late into the night. Sometimes Ymir was a little spiteful and played extra loudly, but most of the time she behaved and banged out a few songs before putting her guitar back on its stand and then retiring to her room to watch something before bed.

She lived a very quiet, happy life. She was tired more often than not, but that was just the normal. She was single, but she had her friends, and that was fine.

On one Friday evening, Ymir returned home more tired than usual. She tiredly trudged up three flights of stairs to her floor, then walked over to her door. She barely even noticed the flurry of people and boxes in the hallway until she nearly bumped into someone, and blinked herself back into reality.

The door just before hers was wide open, and she curiously peeked inside as she passed by. There were boxes scattered everywhere and two big men arguing over a massive bed that they were clearly struggling to build. She wondered if they were the ones moving in, but decided she didn’t really care, and went to her flat. Once inside, she removed her clothes, sank into a steaming bath and let the stresses of the day just melt away.

The next day, the moving seemed to have finished, but she had yet to hear or see her new neighbours. Ymir wasn’t really the type to head on over with a baked meal to welcome them to the neighbourhood. She probably wouldn’t even say hello in the hallway if she passed by them, not unless they greeted first.

She went about her life as usual, not even curious about whoever moved in next door. The following weekend, however, she was relaxing in a bath when she heard someone begin to sing. The pipes in the wall between them were noisy as all hell, so she knew they were having a shower. It seemed their bathrooms were right next to each other.

Ymir shut her hot water tap off and slicked her wet hair back. She breathed in softly as she listened, surprised to note that it was a feminine voice. She waited to hear anyone else, but didn’t. The woman continued to sing a song with stunningly high notes, hitting them perfectly, and then the pipes fell silent when her shower switched off. Ymir could still hear her singing softly, but it was muffled. She continued to listen even as the woman finished up and left her bathroom. Ymir even heard the sound of her flicking the light switch and shutting the door.

She was suddenly hit with the desire to play her guitar, but she was just too damn tired. She instead decided to hit up the internet and see if she could find the song that person had been singing. When she found it, she listened to it as she fell asleep.

The next day she was off, and she was eager to try and play the song from the day before. She settled on her couch with her guitar on her lap, and then she closed her eyes and remembered how that woman had been singing it. Damn, her voice had been amazing. After a little bit, she started strumming and before long she had the song down and was enjoying playing it with all her heart. She played it a couple of times before switching to some other song, then she had to stop because her fingers hurt and her hands were cramping.

The day after that was when it finally happened.

Ymir got home from work, had a bath and some dinner, then settled on her couch with her guitar. She decided to play the same song from the day before, and when she got a couple seconds into it, she heard the person next door starting to sing. She stopped to listen, but so did the woman, and then she cautiously started to play again. Ymir realized with a jolt that she was singing the same song in time.

Ymir grinned broadly, and then she went to sit against the wall and started playing with all the passion she had for music. The woman’s voice was right behind her, pouring through the wall to join in the chords of the song, and Ymir felt awed by their sound. They made music together until the song ended, and then Ymir heard her footsteps disappear away from the wall, and she decided she was done for the night.

After that, whenever Ymir started to play—not all the time—her neighbour would start to sing along. Sometimes when her neighbour was singing, Ymir would immediately jump to start playing her guitar if she recognized the song. It turned into a pastime for them, something they did together at any odd hour when coincidence had them thinking of the same thing.

Ymir became a little obsessed with it, but she never got the nerve to go next door. She had an image in her head of who her neighbour was, and she was afraid of this image being ruined. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time—like she wasn’t alone, like there was someone out there who maybe understood her.

When her friend Sasha begged her to go out to a bar, Ymir wanted to say no. She didn’t really feel like it, and she was hoping she would have another session with her neighbour, but she hadn’t seen Sasha in a while and she could be quite persuasive. So, Ymir dressed in her gayest outfit and then headed out. She eyed her neighbour’s door for a moment, heart skipping at the thought of her, but shrugged the feelings away.

The Titan was a bar just down the street, and it had some of the best local artists playing there at any given time. Sasha kept nagging her to play there at some point, but Ymir kept refusing. Her music was hers alone, and she played it to balance out her emotions, not for likes and attention.

“Ymir!”

Sasha tugged her into a crushing hug, her face slightly flushed already. Ymir grunted from her hug and pulled away.

“Drunk already?”

Sasha laughed. “A tiny bit. Come on, I got a table for us.”

Sasha took her hand and dragged her over to said table, and Ymir was surprised to see someone already sitting there. Sasha dropped her hand and draped herself over this woman, so Ymir already guessed before Sasha even introduced her.

“’Mir, this is Mikasa, my new girlfriend.”

Mikasa stood and offered her hand. Ymir stared at it for a second, a smile lifting the corner of her lips. She shook the offered hand even though she thought it was weird, and then plopped down in a seat.

“Sasha has said a lot about you,” Mikasa told her.

Ymir lifted a brow. “She has?”

“Just good things!” Sasha hurried, face red. She slammed her hand down on the table. “Drinks! What do you want to drink, Ymir?”

“Uh, a coke is fine.”

“No alcohol?” Mikasa asked her.

Ymir grinned wryly. “Nope.

“Cool!” Sasha exclaimed, and then she was off.

Ymir and Mikasa stared at each other for a moment, until Ymir sighed. “You know we dated once, right? That’s why she’s being so weird?”

Mikasa finally smiled at her. “Yeah. I don’t care, but she was worried.”

“She’s an idiot,” Ymir scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“She really is,” Mikasa agreed. “But I love her.”

“How long have you been seeing each other?”

They could see Sasha over by the bar counter, leaning forward as she animatedly chatted with the bartender while he got their drinks.

“Officially? Over a month now. I’ve been in love with her longer. We met at work.”

Ymir nodded her head. “That’s so cute. So long as she’s happy, then I’m cool. She’s my only real friend.”

Mikasa made a sound that was oddly like a snort. “Yeah, Sasha’s said that.”

Ymir wanted to be offended, but Sasha quickly dropped down in her seat beside Mikasa and then handed their drinks over. Ymir was a bit thirsty, so she happily gulped a lot of her coke down.

“So are my two favourite people getting along?”

Mikasa and Ymir eyed each other. “No,” they said in union. Sasha paled and her mouth popped open in shock, and then they both broke into amused grins and she realized they were joking. After a few slaps later, Sasha was pouting and Mikasa pressed a kiss to her temple to apologize. Ymir respectfully looked away from them.

They had a great time, sitting there and drinking while they listened to the local talent. Ymir loved to see the different types of music people made, the way they put their souls into it. She took some notes as she listened, too. By the end of the evening she was tired and Sasha was clearly very drunk, so they decided that they were done and parted ways. Ymir wasn’t in a hurry, so she took a slow walk and enjoyed the cool night air. She passed by the local park and spotted some people surrounding a bonfire. She would have just walked on by, but she heard a familiar voice that made her freeze on the spot.

It was that beautiful singing voice from her neighbour. Without hesitating, Ymir headed for the group, ears straining to hear who the voice was coming from. She found her sitting by the swings alone, quietly singing to herself as she watched the others drinking and laughing around the fire.

Ymir sat down on the swing next to her and swallowed.

“Hey neighbour,” she greeted.

The woman stopped singing and drew to a stop. For a second she didn’t move, then she turned and Ymir caught her gaze. She had crystalline blue eyes that were slightly narrowed, and her blonde hair was gathered into a bun at the base of her neck.

“My name is Ymir.”

Those eyes continued to regard her. “Annie.”

Ymir couldn’t fight off her grin. She reached out, offering her hand. “I’ve heard you singing. I’m the one that plays the guitar.”

Annie’s eyes widened then. She stared at Ymir’s hand, then took it. Ymir was surprised by how small her hand was, and the tingle that raced down her spine from the contact. Annie withdrew her touch quickly, but she moved her body more towards Ymir.

“You’re the one that plays while I sing?”

Ymir nodded. “Yeah. Your voice is amazing.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.” Annie looked away, seeming uncomfortable. “Your playing is amazing.”

Ymir flushed. “Thank you. Whenever you sing, I can’t help but get my guitar and play with. You should, uh, come over some time. We can make music together.”

Annie’s brow lifted, and then she snorted on a laugh and shrugged. “Sure.”

Ymir sat there for a moment more, growing uncomfortable. She decided that she didn’t know what else to say and she didn’t want to be creepy, so she stood.

“Well, it was awesome meeting you Annie. I’m gonna head out. Uh, see you around?”

Annie stared at her, swinging slowly again. “Yeah, likewise.”

Feeling very awkward, Ymir left. When she climbed into bed, Annie’s blue eyes flashed in her mind, and she couldn’t help the strange warmth creeping into her chest.

* * *

Annie didn’t like change. She knew that it was inevitable, and that she couldn’t continue living her life in the same safe, ordinary bubble. But still, she could admit that she hated change. She was just grateful that she had her friends, and that they were so sweet when it came to her anxieties. The only reason they even knew that she was anxious to begin with meant that they were close, and she trusted them with her life.

“Alright,” Reiner finally sighed, dropping a handful of tools onto her new kitchen counter. “The bed is sorted, your toilet is working and we sorted out a leak we found.”

Annie walked over to him and handed a cold can of coke. “Thanks, Rei.”

He took the can and greedily swallowed it down. Berthold joined them. He easily reached around Reiner to grab his own drink, and Annie leaned against her counter as they cooled down from helping her move everything up.

“Thanks for helping me, guys,” she told them. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it all myself.”

Reiner laughed and tossed the crushed can into the nearby bin. “You know we’re always here to help. I don’t think you would have been able to carry a single thing on your own, anyway.”

Berthold laughed softly. “Rei, you’re forgetting that Annie has thrown you over her shoulder.”

Annie lifted her brow at them. “I probably could have done most of it. I was just lazy.”

Reiner pretended to be offended. “Whatever,” he scoffed, then he scooped Annie into a tight hug that she tried to squirm out of. She threatened to kick him in the balls so he quickly set her down. “Okay, sorry!” he laughed.

“Don’t you two need to go home or something?” she grumbled, but her chest was warm.

“We probably should, yeah,” Berthold agreed. “Let me grab our jackets.”

While he disappeared, Reiner leaned against the counter to get a little closer to her height—which Annie hated—and then he gave her a curious look. “So, I saw your neighbour, and I must say…” He whistled. “She’s hot.”

Annie gave him a dull stare. “Hot for you?”

“I mean, definitely in a gay way, as in I’m sure _you’ll_ find her very hot.”

“We’re not having this conversation.”

“What? I just think you should go and introduce yourself is all.”

“All ready!” Berthold announced in the doorway. He noticed the uncomfortable look on Annie’s face, and she shrugged when he tilted his head in question.

Reiner sighed, shaking his head. “I just want you to finally find someone to spend time with. It doesn’t even need to be a girlfriend. Like, find more friends.”

Annie threw her own can away and then escorted them to her door. “Okay, Reiner. Thanks. I can handle my relationships fine on my own.”

“Are you sure?” Reiner asked her.

“Reiner,” Berthold warned.

Annie gave him a look, so he stepped out of her flat and shrugged. They said goodbye and then Annie closed the door, and she was relieved to be alone. They’d had pizza earlier, so she wasn’t hungry, but she definitely needed to shower. Luckily this flat had both a shower and a bath. She opted for the shower, climbed in and let the grime and sweat from the day of moving wash right off of her.

Annie didn’t know how thin the walls were, and a week later she did what she usually did in the shower—she started to sing. She put her whole soul into it and when she was done, she hummed softly to herself while she dressed and then left the bathroom feeling a little more human and less like a forest troll.

When she first heard the guitar, she was half asleep on the couch, barely watching the show flashing over her screen. That was when she really realized how thin the walls were, but since the guitar sounded really beautiful, she wasn’t complaining. She quickly realized the person was playing the song she had been singing the day before, and this made her blush brightly. Thank god no one was around to see her.

Seriously, had her neighbour actually heard her? Was this person mocking her? No. They were playing it really beautifully, there was no way they were doing this just to tease. Annie actually felt a little in awe, so it was easy for her to one day interject her voice into her neighbour’s passionate one-woman band. When the person stopped playing, she stopped singing, and then she grinned to herself when the playing started again, but much closer. So she sat down with her back pressed to the wall, and she listened to the cords and she let her voice echoed around her.

For days afterwards, Annie thought about it. She would never admit to anyone else that she had actually really enjoyed that, and that she was kind of a little curious to actually meet her neighbour. Reiner had said she was hot, but he could be stupid sometimes. And nosy. But, what if he was right?

The night of the bonfire, Annie hadn’t really wanted to go. She was more in the mood to just hang around on her couch, hoping her mysterious neighbour would start playing guitar again. Maybe it was becoming a little bit of an obsession, and maybe it helped to make Annie feel a lot less lonely.

She spotted her first, standing on the sidewalk and looking their way. Annie was singing softly to herself, and for some reason this stranger started walking right towards them, glancing around as if looking for someone. When her eyes landed right on Annie, she somehow _knew_. The stranger dropped into the seat beside her, and Annie was overwhelmed by sudden nerves. She stopped singing.

God, was this her? There was no other explanation for why this woman was looking at her like that, and she was so attractive it was making Annie a little angry. She was the kind of lesbian that would mistake her intense feelings of love as dislike and ask her crush to physically leave the city. Reiner always made fun of her for this.

When they interacted, Annie tried to act cool and calm, but she realized she was probably coming off as very uninterested. When she got Ymir’s name, her heart skipped in her chest. Why was it doing that?

As Ymir walked away, Annie stared after her, wishing she had gathered the courage to ask Ymir to walk her home. Reiner and Berthold did that for her later on, and when she made it to her door she couldn’t help but glance over at Ymir’s. She hesitated for a second, shook the desire away and then headed inside. She collapsed on her bed and fell asleep quickly.

Days went by of complete silence. There was one old man down the hallway that watched his TV really loudly at the same time every morning, but he only did so for exactly twenty-four minutes and then he switched it off, so Annie didn’t feel like complaining about him. Other than that, she only heard the occasional chatter or someone banging around in their kitchen. At night, she sometimes heard the embarrassing noises of people having sex, but then she just put her earphones in and tried to sleep.

One day, she and Ymir happened to be home at the same time. Annie was walking back from the nearby shop when she spotted Ymir ahead of her, but she didn’t have the nerve to actually go and talk to her, so she just walked a safe distance behind and stared at the back of her head. God, she was _so_ tall. She was wearing exceptionally skinny jeans, and Annie just thought that was being ridiculous. As if people couldn’t already see how stupid tall she was, or how nice her legs were?

Flustered for absolutely no reason, Annie decided to stop staring. She still followed behind, and Ymir only noticed her when they were both by their doors. Ymir’s eyes widened and her face brightened—why would it do that?—and she popped an earphone out.

“Oh, Annie! I didn’t see you there.”

Annie slid her key into her door. “Is that a short joke?” she asked sarcastically.

Ymir laughed. “I mean, you are fucking short so I’d probably not see you easily.” When Annie gave her a glare, she grinned broadly. Annie liked her attitude, even though she could see it pissing her off. “Are you off today?”

She hesitated opening her door. “Yeah. You?”

“Yep.” Ymir continued to stare at her, so Annie just stood there and waited. Ymir ran a hand through her short hair and Annie couldn’t help but stare at the line of her jaw and throat and the strong shape of her nose and just… yeah, okay, Annie thought she was really attractive. “Would you like to come over?”

Annie didn’t quite know how to respond for a while. It was only when Ymir gave her an exasperated look that she realized she actually needed to give some sort of answer, and she slid her keys out with a swallow.

“Uh, sure.”

Ymir grinned at her and gestured to her door, so Annie walked over and headed in. She wasn’t really afraid for her safety—as Berthold had said, she could throw a whole grown man over her shoulder. She was short, but she was very strong.

Ymir’s flat was very cosy and not at all cluttered. There were a few empty mugs sitting on top of a dishwasher, but otherwise the kitchen was clean. The lounge just had a large TV and a three-seater couch, with a coffee table and a black rug. The layout of the flat was exactly the same as Annie’s.

“Would you like something to drink?” Ymir asked her, depositing her shopping bags on the kitchen table.

“No thanks, I’m fine.”

Ymir started packing things away, so Annie went into the lounge to sit down. She could easily watch Ymir from there, so she did. She hoped Ymir didn’t notice her staring, because it was a little creepy. When Ymir turned after finishing, Annie quickly looked away and she made her way over.

“I was thinking we could maybe do that song together,” Ymir voiced, plopping down next to her. On her way over she had grabbed her guitar, and it sat across her lap. Annie stared at Ymir’s long fingers as she played around with the cords and twirled the pick between the fingers on her other hand. She wanted to laugh at herself, but she didn’t.

“You heard me singing in the shower, didn’t you?”

Ymir grinned at her, confident. “Yep.”

“Why’d you decide to play the same song?”

“Annie, your voice is incredibly beautiful.” She draped her arms over the guitar and her gaze turned faraway. “I love music with everything in me, and when I heard you sing, I was just overwhelmed with emotion.” She cleared her throat and blushed, clearly embarrassed. “I know that sounds weird.”

“Yeah, that is pretty weird.” Ymir glanced up and met her eyes. “But that’s okay, I like weird.”

The words were out before she even really realized what she was saying, but by then it was too late. Ymir’s eyes widened slightly. She had freckles all over her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, and Annie thought they were really cute. Ymir looked down at her guitar, fingers flexing over the strings.

“So, you don’t think I’m a complete creep?”

Annie relaxed on the couch and kicked her feet up. Ymir didn’t seem concerned that she did. “Nah, we’re all a little creepy.”

“You’re very interesting.”

“What, are you crushing on me or something? You don’t even know me.”

Ymir snorted. “You’re a little irritating too.”

“A product of my horrible personality.”

Ymir struck her pick across the cords. “I’ve been told the same thing. So, do you want to sing with my music?”

Annie tilted her head to stare at Ymir, and something in her brown eyes made Annie feel like if she wasn’t careful, she would slip and drown. She was already starting to feel like she didn’t need air anyway.

“Alright, let’s see how good you really are in person.”

Ymir seemed to brighten at the challenge, and then she started to play and Annie started to sing. Their sounds blended together beautifully, and it felt as if their entire world melted away to just the two of them and the art they were making. By the end of it, they were both panting harshly and looking at each other with bright, wide eyes.

When they kissed for the first time, it was weeks later, after many arguments and insults and a hell of a lot of flirting. Annie realized very quickly that she really liked Ymir, but she decided to be difficult about it. They had just finished a song together, and Ymir put her guitar down and then she pulled Annie’s face close and kissed her, and Annie melted against her.

Ymir’s mouth was warm, and her kiss was soft and gentle. Surprising, since Annie thought she would be aggressive. She smirked against the curve of Ymir’s mouth, and then she pulled away while caressing her bottom lip with a thumb.

“Ah, so you really are a softie,” she teased.

Ymir’s eyes shimmered with emotion. “Shut up and kiss me.”

Annie lifted a brow. “Demanding asshole.”

“Rude bitch.”

Despite the insults—that they flung at each other constantly—they were grinning. When they kissed again, Ymir cupped her cheek and Annie wrapped her arms around her neck and then she was on her back, Ymir on top of her, warm and solid. When they pulled away from each other, Ymir rested her face against Annie’s chest and released a breath. Annie’s cheeks were incredibly warm, and she knew she was most likely blushing to the tips of her tears. Besides the tingling along her entire body, her heart was thudding hard with emotion.

“Annie?”

“Hm?”

“I think I might be growing to like you a little.”

Annie snorted on a laugh. “Just a little?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that’s good. I wouldn’t kiss someone I didn’t like just a little either.”

“You mean it?”

“Of course I mean it.”

Ymir laughed, and the warmth of her body made Annie feel very at ease. She let her fingers sink into Ymir’s silky soft hair, embarrassed to do it, but unable to resist. Ymir found her other hand and intertwined their fingers, and Annie smiled. She didn’t remember the last time she had been this happy.

“I just decided,” Ymir mumbled softly against her chest.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t just like you a little, Annie.”

Annie smiled. “Yeah. I love you too.”

Ymir made a strangled noise, and then she laughed softly. She didn’t have to say it back, because they both knew, and they just lay there, relaxed. Ymir’s hand gave hers a little squeeze, and Annie’s heart skipped a beat in response.


End file.
